Craig MacFarlane

Craig MacFarlane (born June 16, 1962) is a Canadian born, totally blind, world champion athlete, author and inspirational keynote speaker. He grew up Desbarats, Ontario, a small town of only 400 people, where he suffered the total loss of his eyesight in an accident when he was only 2 years old.
MacFarlane left Desbarats when he was 6 years old to attend the Ontario School for the Blind in Brantford, Ontario where he began his athletic career at age of 7. He proceeded to win over 100 gold medals and numerous national championships and a world championship during his athletic career.
MacFarlane retired from athletics in his early twenties to pursue his business and speaking career.
Early life
Craig MacFarlane was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada on June 16, 1962 and grew up with his parents, Joyce and Earl MacFarlane, and his older brother Ian, on the family farm in Desbarats, Ontario. Desbarats was a very small town of only 400 people in isolated Northern Ontario. This contributed greatly to MacFarlane’s story as there were virtually no medical or emergency services available to residents of Desbarats without making the long trip to Sault Ste. Marie, the nearest town of any size in the region.
In 1964, while playing with his brother and their friends, in his father’s workshop/garage, MacFarlane suffered a serious injury. A welder’s striker was accidentally flung by one of the boys and struck MacFarlane directly in his left eye, causing irreversible damage. Despite his mother’s efforts to rush MacFarlane to the hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, there was no eye specialist available by the time they finally arrived.
As a result, not only did MacFarlane lose total sight in his injured eye, but as a result of the delay, MacFarlane also lost total sight in his remaining eye due to a condition called Sympathetic Ophthalmia, a consequence that could have been avoided if an ophthalmic surgeon had been available when MacFarlane and his mother arrived at the hospital.
MacFarlane’s recovery took place at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, over 500 miles away from home. Once he was sufficiently recovered, MacFarlane and his mother returned to the family farm where there were no support services such as public health nurses or social workers or community support centers.
MacFarlane’s mother’s well-known quote, “We didn’t know how to raise a blind kid, so we just raised a kid” led to MacFarlane being included in all family activities, without special treatment and circumstance. This provided him with the best possible foundation to thrive in the sighted world despite having completely lost his sight at such an early age.
School and Athletics
In 1968, MacFarlane was, by law, required to attend The Ontario School for the Blind, later to be renamed The W. Ross MacDonald School for the Blind, in Brantford, Ontario, again over 500 miles from his home. Because of the sheer distance involved, MacFarlane would be separated from his family, only returning home for Christmas, Easter and summer vacation.
Having been raised in the sighted world without special treatment, MacFarlane didn’t understand why he had to be banished to such an institution, and he longed to return home, to the sighted world, and continue his happy life alongside his family and friends.
MacFarlane got his opportunity the following year, 1969, when, as a second-grade student, his teachers and coaches selected him to join the school wrestling program. MacFarlane’s success as a wrestler came quickly, winning gold in his first ever tournament. More importantly to MacFarlane, he won his first gold medal in a tournament wrestling against sighted opposition. The fact that he could compete and win against sighted competition gave MacFarlane the inspiration to believe that if he kept winning, he would be proving he belonged back in the sighted world with his mother and father.
That was the beginning of MacFarlane’s athletic career that ultimately led to him becoming recognized as "The World’s Most Celebrated Totally Blind Athlete".
MacFarlane continued to win in local tournaments and went on to win multiple National Blind Wrestling Championships. He also became a successful track and field athlete winning gold at numerous blind national championships multiple times in the 60-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter sprints, as well as in Javelin and Discus.
It took eight years, but MacFarlane finally did earn the right to return home, where he started high school at Central Algoma Secondary School back in his hometown. MacFarlane had 2 wonderful, successful years at Central Algoma before tragedy struck his family once again. In 1978, the family barn caught fire and burned to ground. Everything was lost, including MacFarlane’s precious horse, Rebel, who he was unable to save.
MacFarlane returned to W. Ross Macdonald to complete his Junior and Senior High School years and to further his athletic training before proceeding on to North Park Collegiate in Brantford, Ontario to complete his grade 13, which was still a requirement in Ontario in 1981.
Early adult years
After graduating high school, MacFarlane began reaching out and networking with contacts he had made during his athletic pursuits and decided to organize the MacFarlane MacFarlane Invitational Charity Tennis Tournament in Sault Ste. Marie. The tournament was where MacFarlane first became acquainted with the NHL hockey star, Gordie Howe.
In 1982 Gordie, and his wife Colleen, decided to sponsor MacFarlane and invited him to live with them in Glastonbury, Connecticut where Gordie secured MacFarlane a job in the public relations and marketing department with the Hartford Whalers of the NHL, working with Gordie, who had just retired from playing professional hockey at the age of 52.
It was Gordie who challenged MacFarlane to continue competing until he achieved the milestone of winning 100 Gold medals, which he did in 1983 when he won the 400-meter sprint at the New Jersey Invitational Track and Field Tournament.
It was also during his time with the Howes that MacFarlane began skiing, both on snow and water.
MacFarlane began snow skiing in late 1982 during a trip to Smuggler’s Notch. It was during that trip that MacFarlane decided to pursue downhill snow skiing competitively and began training to compete in the 1983 United States Blind National Downhill Snow Skiing Championship, where he won the gold medal, clocking a speed in excess of 50 miles per hour in his final run.
Later that same year, MacFarlane competed in the United States Blind National Water-Skiing Championships at Cypress Gardens in Florida. Once again, MacFarlane won the gold medal.
After his first competition at Cypress Gardens MacFarlane was offered a contract to become a member of the Cypress Gardens Water Ski Jumping show team. This made MacFarlane the first ever totally blind person to be employed as a professional athlete.
During a performance at Cypress Gardens, MacFarlane suffered a serious accident that resulted in such extensive injuries and such a lengthy recovery that he was not at 100% health for the World Blind Water-Skiing Championships in 1984 and failed to win the world championship.
MacFarlane returned to Cypress Gardens to compete once again in the 1984 United States Blind National Water-Skiing Championships, where he once again won gold. He then proceeded to the 1985 World Blind Water-Skiing Championships in the fjords above Oslo, Norway, where did become world champion.
Business life
MacFarlane’s business and speaking career began in earnest when he went to work for the Hartford Whalers of the National Hockey League. MacFarlane’s work for the Whalers involved many public speaking opportunities, appearing on behalf of the team and this notoriety lead to many independent speaking opportunities as well.
MacFarlane first spoke on the national stage when he was asked by President Ronald Reagan to speak at the 1984 Republican National Convention at Reunion Arena in Dallas, Texas. MacFarlane also appeared at the 1988 Republican National Convention at the Superdome in New Orleans and was invited back a 3rd time, by then President George H.W. Bush to speak at the Republican National Convention at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas in 1992.
It was during that time that MacFarlane developed a close personal friendship with President Bush that lasted until the President’s death in November 2018. MacFarlane often tells the story about how President Bush crashed his 23rd birthday party. President Bush also shares a personal message on MacFarlane’s introductory video and wrote the forward to MacFarlane’s autobiography.
In 1991, MacFarlane joined the investment firm of Edward Jones in the role of corporate goodwill ambassador where he remained employed until 2009. He is still a popular speaker at Edward Jones events until this day, where he frequently appears on a freelance basis.
MacFarlane continues to be in demand as an inspirational keynote speaker and has frequently spoken to Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 companies and at many national conventions for large and influential organizations including Rotary International and Lions Clubs International.
In 1984 MacFarlane was asked by President Reagan to participate in the Los Angeles Olympics torch relay and carried the torch through the streets of Washington D.C. alongside Gordie Howe.
In 2006 MacFarlane was invited by his friend, Cardinal Pio Laghi, to visit Vatican City for a meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.
In addition to his speaking career, MacFarlane is also the founder of the 2020 InnerVision Foundation, through which MacFarlane has actively worked to raise graduation rates in America’s high schools.
Author
MacFarlane is the author of two books.
*Craig MacFarlane Hasn’t Heard of You Either, which is MacFarlane’s autobiography, was published in 2013.
*Find Your Flame Through Purpose, Passion and Sacrifice was published in 2019.
Family life
MacFarlane is married to Patti MacFarlane and is the father of 4 children.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu